[Giant cell arteritis as a cause of tongue necrosis]

A 79 year old woman is reported who has suffered pain in the jaws and mouth for several years. Giant cell arteritis was diagnosed by temporal artery biopsy after the appearance of severe temporal and frontal headache. Despite treatment with cortisone, sudden pain in the tongue appeared preventing speaking and swallowing and leading to ischemic necrosis of the anterior two thirds of the tongue. At the same time she had a transitory ischemic cerebral attack. Six almost identical case histories could be found in the literature: in three tongue necrosis was caused by histologically proven giant cell arteritis. From the clinical picture, giant cell arteritis could have been the cause of tongue necrosis in the other three cases.